The Ending

I thought that the difference in the endings of the two versions was very interesting. I guess as with all movies, this one somewhat simplified the original story considering the sisters faced no consequences as the did in the book ending. In the De Beaumont version the sisters are turned into stone while in Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast they receive no punishment. Perhaps this was due to an edit for the time however I believe that the fact that the fairy states that the sisters can free themselves if they realize their mistake is very important. This clearly makes their plight their own fault and absolves anyone else of responsibility. Good is offering evil a chance to free itself.

Returning to the Beast

One difference I noted was the reason Belle did not return quickly to the Beast. In the written story, it seemed to imply that she was at fault, that she was too glad to be back to remember her commitment. In the film, however, it was her family that plotted to keep her there so that they could reap the wealth of the Beast. The film therefore keeps the innocence of Belle and keeps the focus on her, rather than on the Beast. Yet another instance of the male character being less deep or important than the girl.

The ending of Cocteau's la belle et la bete has always stuck out to me, especially the image of beauty and the beast flying away. It is a very strange and beautiful image with the billowing fabric is a much more powerful image than returning to the palace. The film cuts our the whole reunion with the family, although it is mentioned that belle will reunite with her father, and her sisters will be demeaned. The lovers fly off in clouds and smoke, embracing and almost dancing, free from their previous restraints; belle's family and the beast's ugliness. 

I also particularly like the line that Belle says: c'etais moi le monstre - i was the monster. This places more blame on belle than de beaumont's story. Belle does not apologize for letting his ugliness overweight his kindness. Instead she encourages him to fight for his life and her love, and it becomes a discussion on what a man vs. a beast can do for love- a man can fight, but a beast can only grovel at his love's feet. 

There is also the whole added plot line of Avenant, her brother's friend who wants to marry belle, and who belle admits to loving. I have always found it a bit creepy that Avenant and la bete are played by the same actor, but it makes sense that when seen in the plot line that the beast is only turned back into a man when Avenant is kill/transformed. It is interesting that he tells belle that he changed because of a loving look, when the director seems to point to the diana statue shooting Avenant and transferring the curse to another, with the beast taking on Avenant's appearance.

Beauty and the Beast

One part of the Cocteau film that stands out in my memory is after the Beast is transformed back into a man and Belle notes that he bears a strong resemblance to her brother’s friend who proposed to her in the beginning of the film. This exchange struck me as rather odd because it did not seem to fit in with the rest of the scene, and I did not remember this detail from any other version of Beauty and the Beast. In de Beaumont’s version of the tale, for example, there is no mention of a resemblance of the Beast to anyone in Belle’s life. This then led me to wonder what the significance of this detail could be in the film. The conversation between Belle and the Beast about his similarity to her brother’s friend seemed rather stilted and then ended rather abruptly when Belle answered that it did not bother her that there was a resemblance between the two. It seems to me that the addition was most likely made to enhance plot or character development. I remember earlier in the film the Beast becomes very upset when Belle admits that she had been proposed to by another handsome man. Thus, maybe the detail of the Beast’s resemblance to this very man might be supposed to create a sense of fulfillment such that he no longer needs to feel inferior to another man in Belle’s life. It is interesting that in the de Beaumont version, Belle’s only question after the Beast’s transformation is where did the Beast go; she does not seem to have any concerns about his appearance besides the fact that he no longer looks like a beast.

Assignment 6 - 10.March 2009

Hi Brian, Briana, Caitlin, Lydia and Amy-Lee,

Here is your assignment for this week, with deadlines different from the usual.

Pick one scene or element from Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast, and compare it or contrast it with de Beaumont's version. You might pick something that interests you, that seems odd, or something that you missed in one version or the other, for example.

For those of you who didn't manage to, you have time to complete the reading and watch the film, which is available on OAK and also on Reserve in the Library.

Deadline for putting up your responses is 09.00 p.m. on Wednesday.

Deadline for comment on at least one post is 10.00 a.m. on Thursday.

Ann